Purpose A region faces significant challenges in defining a collective brand identity, especially when territorial brand management is distributed across multiple organizations. Addressing the governance of cooperation for value creation and competition for value capture in strategic networks, this study aims to investigate which role Pinot Noir can play to align the interests and actions of the internal stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach The topic was explored by a qualitative study in the Ahr Valley, a small protected designation of origin (PDO) in Germany, where Pinot Noir accounts for 65% of vineyard plantings. 9 in-depth, semi-structured expert interviews were conducted in January and February 2025. Five brand identity components (origin, competencies, values, personality and vision) and collective brand identity challenges formed the interview guide. Findings The study shows that Pinot Noir, as a collective resource, can unite internal stakeholders and help brand management align interests and actions. In this case, it was a dominant element of producer identity, fostering identification and spatial embeddedness while evoking emotions such as pride and awe that can spread among stakeholders and aggregate into collective emotions and motivations. Research limitations/implications The Ahr Valley’s territorial branding process is ongoing, so conclusions remain preliminary pending evaluation of implementation outcomes. The single-case design limits generalizability. Future research could examine whether collective resources in other strategic networks can emotionalize and motivate internal stakeholders and facilitate the negotiation and development of collective goals. Originality/value The findings suggest that psychological factors, such as emotions and intrinsic motivations of the internal stakeholders, triggered by a collective resource, may be effective behavioral governance mechanisms.
Kottmann et al. (Wed,) studied this question.